Herdsmen attacks: Agatu people demand N100bn compensation

SMARTING from the grieve of attacks by Fulani herdsmen, people of Agatu in Benue State are demanding N100billion as compensation for the destruction of their communities by herdsmen early this year.

The people, who spoke through their representative  at the state House of Assembly, Honourable Sule Audu ,said that, though no amount of money could  either quantify the losses recorded during the attacks or bring back the 500 lives lost to the invasion.

Audu, the minority leader of Benue State House of Assembly said that the compensation was to rebuild  all the towns destroyed by the invading herdsmen and rehabilitate the people of Agatu.

He also decried the total neglect of Agatu by the present administration, calling on the Federal Government to extend the rehabilitation process being carried out in North east to Agatu.

The lawmaker said that only four communities were spared in the entire local government and about 500 persons were killed during the carnage.

“What we lost cannot be quantified, is it primary or secondary school buildings, health centres, electric poles, market and other infrastructural projects in the affected areas. We are talking of a whole local government with more than twenty urban centres, all except four towns reduced to rubles. This amount is nothing to what we lost, though lives can never be replaced”.

Audu said adequate data of destruction had been collated and called on the Federal Government to rebuild the troubled area and also send powerful delegation to visit the council area to assess the loss which he said was more that amount demanded.